Other titles:CASE PER TUTTI (Italian Title) [Alternative Title]
ET STED AT BO (Danish Title) [Alternative Title]
BATIR (French Title) [Alternative Title]
THAK YFIR HOFUD ID (Icelandic Title) [Alternative Title]
THE CHANGING FACE OF EUROPE [Series Title]
THE CHANGING FACE OF EUROPE NUMBER 3 [Alternative Title]
THE GRAND DESIGN NUMBER 3 [Alternative Title]
MARSHALL PLAN FILMS [Allocated Series Title]
Summary:The film takes the war-shattered French town of Caen as a sample of the gigantic housing problems Europe faces today. An adequate home is one of the basic essentials of life; to provide the millions of homes needed in Europe today is one of the greatest challenges Europeans face. Only by international co-operation, by the pooling of ideas, skills and materials can this challenge be met successfully.
Description:From 'The Changing Face of Europe' series, this film describes the extensive problems faced across Europe, in relation to the availability of housing in 1950, and some of the initiatives underway tackling this shortage. Caen, where a labourer is participating in the rebuilding of the city, while he and his wife search for somewhere to live, features prominently. Their friend's hut in the Château de Caen is indicative of the severity of the problem. Families are having to take their shelter where they can find it. The film remarks that over a century of under-building has been exacerbated by the Second World War. Around 14,000,000 families across Europe require houses. In Greece and Italy many still make use of archaic dwellings. Prefabrication is one response. The provision of prefabricated houses from Finland to Greece, and from Sweden to France, is noted. People make use of whatever is available to them, but an ad-hoc approach of self-build is insufficent. At the Bouwcentrum in Rotterdam, architects and engineers discuss building methods and materials. They visit the construction site of residential blocks in Arnheim. The film emphasises the benefits of using local materials – not only are they cheaper, but are also more suited to the traditional architecture of a region. The problem of trying to retain a town's historic aesthetic with the incorporation of the modern connivances of new housing is discussed with reference to St Malo, France. A mixture of modern and traditional methods should be employed in building work. New methods can already be incorporated as a result of the use of US, funds, equipment (such as the now common cement mixers) and knowledge, courtesy of the Marshall Plan. Improvements have been made to concrete, improving strength and lowering material cost. The use of concrete, and prefabrication, speeds the appearance of new housing. New towns in England are appearing – a map of the New Town of Crawley is shown [construction scenes here may also possibly be of Crawley]. New homes are appearing on the reclaimed land in the Zuiderzee in the Netherlands, as are permanent dwellings in Greece. The film ends on a message of hope – with peace and determination, Europe will overcome its housing problems.
Alternative Title:CASE PER TUTTI (Italian Title) [Alternative Title]
ET STED AT BO (Danish Title) [Alternative Title]
BATIR (French Title) [Alternative Title]
THAK YFIR HOFUD ID (Icelandic Title) [Alternative Title]
THE CHANGING FACE OF EUROPE [Series Title]
THE CHANGING FACE OF EUROPE NUMBER 3 [Alternative Title]
THE GRAND DESIGN NUMBER 3 [Alternative Title]
MARSHALL PLAN FILMS [Allocated Series Title]
Production Details:Economic Cooperation Administration (Sponsor)
Wessex Film Productions Ltd, London (Production company)
Brunius, Jacques B (Production individual)
Gunn, Leo (Production individual)
Personalities, Units and Organisations:
Keywords:
Physical Characteristics:Colour format: Colour (Technicolor)
Sound format: Sound
Soundtrack language: English
Title language: English
